A Midsummer's Festival of Horror
by Anime Borat
Summary: A trip to Minakami Forest turns into a nightmare for the gang, who are trapped in a world where horrors come alive. They must survive with their wits but will they pay the ultimate price?
1. Prologue: Summer of Wonder

**A Midsummer's Festival of Horror**

Hi guys, This is my first Lucky Star and Fatal Frame(and only) fic, so I'm not familiar with the anime and game respectively. I've done to a horror fic in Azumanga Daioh but is the first time to make a Lucky Star fic. One reason I made this was the lore of Fatal Frame 2's use of twins and the Hiiragi twins of Lucky Star are probably one of the most popular twins of anime history, together with the Sonozaki twins of Higurashi. One of the interesting things of the series is the use of the camera, which would explain the title, to ward off ghosts. Camera's appearance is an example of Japanese horror's story device of the subtle use of technology(such as the video tape in _Ringu_). Perhaps this is something for people who are more used to more popular horror titles from Japan such as _Resident Evil, Silent Hill and Castlevania_. Lucky Star is the property of Kagami Yoshimizu and Kyoto Animation(producers of, K-On CLANNAD, Full Metal Panic? Fumoffo and Second Raid and Haruhi Suzumiya) and the Fatal Frame franchise is the property of Tecmo. No copyright infringement intended.

**Prologue: Summer of Wonder**

The sun shone brightly on the thick forest below, giving it an emerald shine. The cicadas and birds chirped cheerfully in the humid summer and the air is full of the sweet smell of flowers that bloom in the summer as well as the smell of of the leaves. The breeze blew through it swaying the branches of the trees, making the forest seem to dance. The woods seem to have come from fairy tale, looking pristine and untouched. It also looked ancient yet vibrant and full of life. The forest, which had made been standing since the last ice age, was home to a myriad of plant and animals that made it their home and they perpetuate its cycle of life through the consumption of plants, predation, etc. A cycle that continues to this day.

Set in the center of the forest was a lake that shone brilliantly, reflecting the sun's rays from its sapphire waters. The lake itself complemented the forest's idyllic beauty, yet it it wasn't there since some millennia of the forest's existence. Rather it was created as the result of mankind's modification of his environment to suit his needs. Before the lake that existed it was a large and wide basin with a tiny brook that flowed through it. Years later, a dam was built on the area, the location deemed suitable to supply his need of electricity and fresh water. It was before the construction of the said dam when one surveyor, Masumi Makimura, had turned up missing while making a survey of the basin, which would washed away once the dam is completed. When he was reported missing, the authorities searched the area for ten days, then called it off. One of the reasons they called it off was due to area's remoteness of the locality and its hidden dangers such as ravines.

Miyako Sudo, his girlfriend, refused to believe he was gone for good and went out on her own accord. She was never heard from again and needless to say, the tragedy didn't deter construction of the dam, which finished was finished in the mid-nineties. Ever since then, the area was visited by countless tourist from Japan and all over the world, the dam and lake a popular vacation spot. It was vacation that drew a number of friends to this particular place, wanting to have something better on summer break other than a beach outing.

"Wow, this place is so green," Konata commented. "Is there anything that reminds you of the color green, Kagami?"

Kagami seemed annoyed by Konata's comment although she couldn't get what does green have to do with picking the spot. She deadpanned, "No."

"Oh," Konata chimed. "Perhaps its because of the cake buffet you ate three days ago. Probably this helps with burning the calories."

"Shut up!" Kagami snapped. Konata likes to make fun of Kagami's weight problems.

"This place is beautiful, sis," Tsukasa said, admiring the greenery. "Thanks for picking this place. Our summer is going to be very special today." She was reminded of _Princess Mononoke_.

Kagami smiled. It was because her that they had this trip. One day in school she was idly sifting through a brochure for vacation spots in Northern Japan, offering from mountaintop views to hot spring trips. One offer caught her eye; it was an advertisement of Minakami, a lake that created from a dam. She talked to her friends about their next summer trip and she suggested it to them. They all agreed it would be a good idea to have something besides a beach outing. After a few jokes Konata had in stock, they made plans for the trip and invited a few more friends.

The four girls emerged through a trail downhill. Following them were their friends, the twins Tsukasa and Kagami Hiiragi; Miyuki Takara, their moe schoolmate, and their adult chaperons Yui Narumi and Nanako Kuroi. Plus, a number of friends they've invited. Minami Iwasaki, Konata's cousin and Yui's younger sister Yutaka Kobayakawa, Patricia Martin, Hiyori Tamura, Misao Kusakabe and Ayano Minegishi.

"Wow, I've never been to a forest in Japan before," Patrica Martin, exchange student and otaku, exclaimed.

"Hmm, what's the difference between forest in here and Japan and America?" Konata asked Martin.

"Well, I see a lot of anime with forest scenes like Naruto and Rurouni Kenshin," she replied. "I just expected this to more like, uh... well, anime?" She was a bit embarrassed with explaining why she feels its different.

Konata turned to Miyuki. "Hey Miyuki-san, what's the difference between a forest here and a forest in America?"

Miyuki, ever the bookworm, explained, "Well, our country's flora is different due to the geography and climate. Japan belongs to the temperate zone with four distinct seasons, but its climate varies from cool temperate in the north to subtropical in the south. The climate is also affected by the seasonal winds that blow from the continent to the ocean in winters and vice versa in summers. The country has rainy weather and the generally humid, temperate climate exhibits marked seasonal variation celebrated in art and literature, as well as regional variations ranging from cool in Hokkaidō to subtropical in Kyūshū. Climate also varies with altitude and with location on the Pacific Ocean or on the Sea of Japan. Northern Japan has warm summers but long, cold winters with heavy snow. Central Japan has hot, humid summers and short winters, and southwestern Japan has long, hot, humid summers and mild winters.

"Two primary factors influence Japan's climate: a location near the Asian continent and the existence of major oceanic currents. The climate from June to September is marked by hot, wet weather brought by tropical airflows from the Pacific Ocean and Southeast Asia. These airflows are full of moisture and deposit substantial amounts of rain when they reach land. We get five to six typhoons a year."

Everyone was amazed by Miyuki's explanation, although they could not fully comprehend it. Miyuki went on, "There are around 5000 to 6000 species of plant occur naturally in Japan. The vegetation varies widely from subtropical forest in the south to coniferous forest in the north. In the subtropical zone, mangroves, cycads and tree ferns can be found. In the warm-temperate climate of Kyūshū, Shikoku and south-western Honshū, the dominant vegetation is broad-leaved evergreen forest with many oaks. In north Honshū and south-west Hokkaidō the climate is cool-temperate with broad-leaved deciduous trees including Japanese beech and oaks like the konara. Conifers are dominant in much of Hokkaidō and in the mountains of central and northern Honshū with spruces and firs growing. In the highest mountains there is a zone of arctic-alpine plants including the low-growing Siberian dwarf pine." She sighed with relief after giving a long explanation.

Everyone clapped loudly, which made her blush a bit. It made her somewhat more moe.

"Keep walking, guys. We're almost there," Konata said as they trudged through the leaves.

"Thank goodness," puffed Kuroi, who was carrying the equipment along with with an equally tired Yui. It was their misfortune to carry all the heavy equipment. Kuroi assured the girls that they don't have to carry all the equipment so as long the strong adults can. They didn't reckon the amount of stuff they would be carrying and now they were paying the price, turned into the pack mules of the expedition. They now craved for rest and hoped they get to their camp site soon.

An hour and half later...

Everyone is starting to get tired from the trek. They were already sweating and they all wanted to sit down. Kuroi and Yui felt they've been dragging a truck throughout true a pond of porridge, their legs ready to give way in a moment's notice. Kagami, feeling they've walked a thousand miles, asked Konata, who was holding the map, "Konata, are you sure that we're in the right direction?"

"Well, let me see," she replied. "Let's stop for a while." Everyone did and took their chance to rest. The two adults instantly fell down, crushed by their burdens, kicking up dust and fallen leaves everywhere and equipment making crashing sounds. The others help quickly help them up while Konata kept on looking at the map. She was humming a tune that was beginning to annoy Kagami in just a few seconds.

"Konata, are you sure you know what you're doing?" she asked gruffly

"Just wait, Kagami," she replied. "I'm still picking my through this map."

"That does it," she blurted. "Give me that." She snatched and the map from Konata's hands and scanned them. She shot a look at Konata. "You were reading it the wrong way!"

Konata giggled with closed eyes and explained why she read it that way, "I'm sorry, Kagamin~. I should have not volunteered to read the map."

"Not funny!" Kagami snapped.

"Hey, it helps with the exercise," Konata pointed out.

"But getting lost doesn't help us," she retorted. She then called everyone and showed them where they their campsite was supposed to be. Everyone groaned loudly about how they were going around in circles while Konata was leading them the wrong way. The loudest groans come from the two adults, who realized much to their horror that they'll have to carry stuff again.

They finally reached their campsite, a clearing near the bank of the lake, its crystal clear water gently lapping against the bank. The breeze was pleasant and everyone was in swimsuits in just a few seconds. They dove into the lake.

Tsukasa cautiously approached the lake. Taking her first steps in, she took a dip and cautiously waded through until she was up to her chest. Her friends where having fun and it seemed like a party here. In her spot on the water, everything seemed calm, time seemed to stop. She seem to wander off into another space, like a Nirvana where everything is calm and the world disappeared. She felt like flowing in to the infinite peace the lake offered. It seemed that the lake wanted her to come to its center to share its completeness with her. All she had to do was to let the current carry her away...

Water was sprayed on her and she backed away instinctively, wincing. She was brought back to reality by Konata, who sprayed her.

"Come and join us, Tsukasa," Konata said. "The water's great." She waded around the water. "Where's your sister?"

She did notice Kagami was behind her, silently crouching low in the water. She made placed an upright finger near her lips to signify to Tsukasa to remain silent. Then she waded carefully so she wouldn't startle the otaku. Kagami prayed that Konata would stay dumb while she exacted her revenge for the cake comment by dunking her into the water. She was so giddy with anticipation that she had to take a breath before going towards her.

"Tsukasa, does Kagami have trouble getting into water?" she asked playfully, loving to poke fun on Kagami's tsundere side, "I heard the waters gonna be great for her temper." Kagami ignored that comment lest she gives away her trick, trying not to twitch her eyes. She was just a few inches from giving Konata a dip, she controlled her breathing, poised herself to strike, covering the last few inches between her and Konata. She stopped. She's now only few critical seconds away to make Konata pay for the cake and tsundere wisecracks. With an evil grin, she rose up from the water with arms raised, ready to pounce on her.

Kuroi announced, "Hey, is everyone hungry?"

She leaped forward, ready to dunk Konata but too late. In the last split second, Konata turned to Kuroi, leaving Kagami, much to her horror, to pounce on the air. She then made a big splash on the water, drenching Konata's back with water and making waves. Konata turned to see Kagami pop out of the water. She smiled, "See, Kagami. Having a lake outing is fun. Better luck next time."

Fuming, Kagami jumped on Konata and a hilarious water fight ensued. It wasn't all that bad since it seems there more like playing than fighting. In any case if you listen closely, you can hear Kagami growling angrily while Konata just chuckled happily.

After the the water fight between Konata and Kagami, everyone was eating lunch. The food prepared for the trip was made contributed by all of them. Konata brought lots of junk food; Patty and two teachers drinks in the cooler; the cooked food was made by Miyuki, the Hiiragi twins, Ayano, and amazingly, Minami.

"Wow, your cooking's good, Minami onee-chan," Yutaka commented on her friend's food. "I didn't know you knew how to cook."

"Well," Minami said quietly, "I was thinking about trying something knew so I tried cooking."

"Wow, that's great." Yutaka is always astounded by Minami.

"The foods great," Konata commented. "And Tsukasa really outdid herself this time." She held up an onigiri proudly.

Tsukasa flustered and smiled. She twiddled her fingers cutely. "Um... actually, me and my sister made the food together before we set out."

"That's great," the otaku chimed. "No wonder I can't tell the difference between Kagami and Tsukasa's cooking right now, they just taste too good today."

Annoyed, Kagami deadpanned, "Did you have to mention that?"

Yutaka asked innocently, "Kona onee-chan, is Kagami a bad cook?" Kagami was just stunned by the blunt delivery of her question, made even more with her clueless demeanor.

"Well, actually, Kagami does cook well but her dishes aren't as elaborate as Tsukasa's," Konata explained. "She's not good very good with chores either."

"You've gone too far," Kagami scolded, much to Konata's delight.

* * *

><p>After spending the afternoon, playing in the water, preceded naturally by taking some rest after eating, of course, it was sunset and everyone cleaned up. They gathered around the campfire. They were preparing dinner on it including s'mores for dessert by Patty.<p>

"So these are s'mores," Konata noted happily as she took her share.

"My uncle taught me how to make them," Patty proudly explained.

"Careful, Kona-chan, it's hot," Miyuki cautioned. She handled a foil-wrapped s'more with a tong and laid it on Konata's plate. She looked with glee at her steamy s'mores.

"So, in America do actually eat s'mores for the summer?" Konata asked Patty.

"Well, not exactly, only in most camping trips and outdoor vacations," Patty answered. "You know, sometimes I missed home."

"Well, why don't we do a ghost story, something we Americans and Japanese have in common during the summer," Konata suggested.

"Okay, that's great." They waited for their s'mores to cool, then they dug in. After finishing, they resumed chatting.

"Uh..." Tsukasa was squeamish. "I don't think ghost stories are a good idea here."

"Come on, Tsukasa," Konata mewed. "Ghost stories are the spice of summer outings. There's never one without them."

"Don't worry, Tsukasa," Kagami comforted, "her ghost stories are usually derived from anime so they're not that scary."

Konata sneaked near Kagami and poked her shoulder. "Gyah!" Kagami let out a sharp cry, that startled everyone to their feet.

"Wow, even the brave Kagamin is not immune to being scared while touched," the otaku teased.

"Why you..." Kagami's voice was shaky from Konata's latest pranks.

"It's okay to admit you're scared, Kagamin~," Konata comforted. "Everyone's gotta be scared of something." She noticed Kagami shaking with more rage. She then approached her and leaned on her back, stroked her hair. "There, there, Kagamin~, I'll make sure you're safe."

"Shut up!" Kagami shouted. Everyone chuckled her antics once again.

Tsukasa, fearing that Konata might have taken the trick too far, intervened. She said, "Why don't we ask Patty for ghost stories from America?"

Sure enough, everyone stopped focusing on Konata-Kagami and turned to Patty. Yutaka asked, "Patty-chan, what ghost stories do you have?"

The American otaku mused for a while, rubbing her chin. Then she had it. She replied, "Let me tell you a story my grandma used to tell me."

Everyone gathered around eagerly her. She then began, "The story I'm about to tell you is the legend of the Lost Town..." They listened with rapt attention to the story, which is about a ghost town in Maine where everyone disappeared and it involves a burnt church and a creepy angel statue. The only person who wasn't listening closely was Kagami, who finally calmed done after her irritation-triggered outburst. The word 'ghost' got her attention, drawing her back to that one late night before their trip, while she made her last minute check on their stuff.

She tiptoed one night downstairs, Kagami Hiiragi played big sister once again. This time, she was checking their bags which they bring for the trip. She entered the living room to check their bags. She made a meticulous check on their contents, referring to her list to see if any items are missing. Sometimes, Tsukasa forgets to include items when she's packing like her text books. Whilst in repacking, she heard some heavy footsteps on the stairs. She turned around to and saw her father Tadao Hiiragi walking down. It's his habit to sometimes wake up in the middle of the night to get something from the fridge.

"Isn't it a little late?" Her father said.

"That's alright, dad," she replied. "I'm just checking our stuff for our trip."

"Oh, I see." Her father grinned. "You're going to Minakami, isn't it?"

"Yeah." She remembered the first time when she uttered the name Minakami once when she told her dad about the brochure. Her dad had a look that seemed uneasy when she said it. That night, their pause was long and it was Kagami who had to reply, "Dad, is there something you want to tell about Minakami?"

He was silent for a few seconds. Then he said, "Come with me to the kitchen when you're done." Kagami finished her chore and followed her father to the kitchen. They sat after he took a bottle of milk from the fridge and set it down on the table. He poured the milk into the glasses and they drank. He began, "I don't mean to scare you but there's something about Minakami that scares me."

She saw on his eyes an eerie feeling like he heard it before. She asked, "What is it?"

He cleared his throat. "Well, I friend of mine told of a story about a village that vanished without a trace on the night of a festival. I don't know what it is but the Shinto beliefs of the people in the region are quite different from ours here."

"Okay, dad, what was it like?" Kagami asked, setting her glass down.

"I don't know for sure. They say that people who wander around the forest where the village had been have been spirited away, no trace of them at all when people start looking for them."

Kagami gulped. She felt a chill on her bones but kept it to herself. "Is that true?"

Her father was deep in thought. He was considering whether to tell her or not. He sighed deeply. "I know you're old enough for this, Kagami. Sometimes I wish it wasn't real but still..."

"Go on, dad," Kagami said quietly.

"A friend of mine told that a number of people have disappeared over the years there. Among those is a surveyor of the dam that was being built and his girlfriend. There were also twins there too."

"Twins...?" Kagami suddenly felt curious.

"Yes, apparently, they were playing around until they got lost for a week before they were found. Only one of them that is."

Such food for thought to the elder Hiiragi twin as her sister is a bit of a ditz, Tsukasa is practically helpless without her. She pressed on, "What happened to the other twin?"

"No one knows what happened, apparently she was lost somewhere and no one can find her. Furthermore, there are some disappearances that had just happened recently. My friend told me they stopped back in the late 80's but returned towards the end of 1998."

Kagami gulped again. Something told her to cancel the trip but the other part told her that they're nothing but rumors. She's not sure about Tsukasa though. For sure, there must be a rational explanation for them, no one disappears without a trace for no reason. Maybe someone in those recent disappearances got sucked up by the dam's turbines and turned into fish food. Such thought was morbidly funny.

"Kagami, is there something funny?" Her dad asked. Kagami was quickly knocked back to reality by his question.

"Uh, nothing, dad," she hastily replied. "I was just thinking about how much of a good scare when I tell Konata that."

"Hmm... that seems to be a good idea." He knew Konata and his daughters' other friends. The little bluenette loves to make jests with Kagami. He added, "Just make sure to take of yourselves over there."

Kagami nodded. "Got it, dad."

"And be sure to take care of your little sister." He winked. After that, both of them retired to bed.

Patty just finished her story and everyone was awed by it, quite mystified actually.

"Wow... that was scary," Yutaka trembled a bit.

"It sure is," added Hiyori, whose knees were shaking.

Konata didn't share the fears of Yutaka and Hiyori. She was just mystified. She said, "Your story's great, Patty. It's just so great."

"Thanks, Kona-chan," Patty said cheerily.

"Come to think of it," the bluenette added, "how come film adaptions of your ghost stories turn out to suck sometimes?"

"Well," Patty replied, "you've got Hollywood, they're so obsessed with cool special effects and stuff that their horror sometimes come out like the lovechild of an anime and a comedy." They both chuckled. She then added, "My grandma likes to tell me those stories and reminds all the time not to sell her stories to Hollywood."

"You've got a good point there," Konata agreed. She then turned to see Kagami, who was deep in thought. Konata's face lit up when another trick came into her mind. She said to her, "Are you thinking of a special guy, Kagamin~?"

Kagami's revery ended instantly. She quickly growled at the source of the irritation, "What did you say!"

Konata just chuckled, clearly seeing her joke got her attention with the desired results. She then said sweetly like Miyuki, "I can't help to notice if you're in such deep thought, Kagami. It must be someone special in your mind. How cute~."

Although she was still smarting, she said slowly and grudgingly, "It's not that."

"Then what is, dear Kagami?" Konata asked.

She took a deep breath and calmed herself down. She said, "I don't mean to spoil the party but..." She was having second thoughts about telling what she knew of this place. "I got to tell you something..."

Some of them made made mock awes in response. Everyone huddled around Kagami, eager to hear her story. "Come on, Kagami," Konata encouraged, "let's hear _your_ story." Already she assumed it is one.

She hesitated a bit, not knowing how to begin. She looked at their faces, full of anticipation for Kagami's scary tale. She decided to tell anyway, "Well, guys, it's not actually a story but there's something about this place I have to tell you."

"What is it?" Konata asked eagerly.

She began rather reluctantly, "My dad... he told me that people in this area keep on vanishing."

Her delivery was rather neutral, almost matter-of-factly, but it did send chills to some of them. Yui and Kuroi briefly stole glances of fear from each other. The last thing anyone would have a vacation is a place with a reputation for people vanishing. Her friends shuffled their uncomfortably, her sister most of all.

"What... You're dad told you that?" Patty asked nervously.

"Yup," Kagami replied. She then gave brief description about what her father told her. Carefully leaving out the part where people have disappeared recently. She doesn't to give Tsukasa more scares.

"Wow, whoever thought a place like this had urban legends?" Hiyori said.

"Yeah," Kagami replied. She then added reassuringly, "But there not true, they're just that, urban legends."

Miyuki, who had been silent the whole time, spoke up, "That's not entirely true. There was indeed a dam surveyor named Masumi Makimura and his girlfriend is Miyako Sudo. I remembered it from old newspaper article in school."

Everyone was just bawled over by the revelation. Yutaka embraced Minami tightly while her taller friend, kept her close. Yui and Kuroi's faces lit up in fear. They cried in unison, "What!" Suddenly, their trip suddenly doesn't like a good idea anymore.

"Really?" Konata asked excitedly.

"Yes," she replied. "They weren't able find his body for ten days. The official explanation for why they called off the search is due to the rugged and relatively unexplored terrain. He supposedly dead with the explanation that he may have an accident in the region's hidden caverns."

"How about Miyako Sudo?" Tsukasa asked worriedly.

"Well, she went off on her own to investigate for herself. She didn't show for several days and was pronounced missing, presumed dead." Atmosphere changed rather quickly and everyone wanted to know more but at the same time, they don't want to go any further, everyone wanting to which choice to end their night and help them sleep better. Konata, however, decided to kill the mood.

"But it happened in the 80's, right?" she asked.

"Yeah," Kagami replied. "Anyway, guys, all this stuff happened a long time ago so there's not much to worry about."

"I wouldn't say that if I were you, Kagami," Konata cautioned.

"Huh?" What does she mean?

"You know, this sounds a lot like another place where a dam was supposed to be built but the people in the nearby village feared it would offend their deity and a number of mysterious deaths and disappearances occur."

Kagami's expression changed into an irritated frown, suddenly realizing what she meant. "What anime are you referring to?"

* * *

><p>"Night," everyone greeted to each other as they retired to bed. Kagami brushed her teeth and cleaned up. She sat down by herself and looked up the moon. It was full and clear with the stars with a few thin clouds sprinkled across the sky. It felt so calm and peaceful just to look at it. Kagami wondered about the moon, which had had bore overlooked the earth for countless nights before, had a say to happens in the night. It would be nice if the moon can tell her what happened about the fate of the two lovers, when it watched over them from above, wherever its light shone, what could possible there last moments are. She shook that fantasy out of her head.<p>

She went to her tent and got in. She noticed Tsukasa reading a light novel with a flashlight.

"Tsukasa," she said, "don't read like that. It's bad for your eyes." She zipped the tent closed.

"Hi, Onee-chan," she greeted with her smile and doe-like eyes. She was comforted to see her big sister by her side. She put away the book and flashlight.

"Aren't you gonna sleep?" She asked her sister.

"Um, I was waiting for you," she said. "I don't wanna be alone."

"Why?"

She then looked worried. "I'm a little scared of ghost," she replied, sounding like a lot more scared.

Kagami smiled. "You're worried about that? There's nothing to worry about. Ghosts aren't real. Even if they did, they won't appear to us."

"Umm..." She paused for a while. Then her eyes widened. "What about Miyako?"

"Oh, you mean her," Kagami thought. "I don't think she'll around. Besides, whatever spot she's haunting is most likely flooded by the dam."

That put Tsukasa on a good mood. Kagami then asked her comfortingly, "Feeling better?"

She nodded. "Uh-huh. As long as I've got you, onee-chan, I've got nothing to worry about." She embraced Kagami warmly. Kagami wrapped her arms around her. Embracing and to be embraced by Tsukasa was one of best things in her life. She felt whole and complete with her. She recollected why her father named her Kagami, because she was the mirror image of her younger sister. Their embrace felt pure and eternal, never wanting to let go. If only they could be live life together and be happy...

"Um, onee-chan..." Tsukasa whispered. "You can let go now."

Kagami then removed herself from her sister, looking quite flustered. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

Tsukasa happily replied closing her eyes, "That's okay, onee-chan." She giggled. She then crept her sleeping bag and snuggled in. "Good night, onee-chan."

Kagami smiled sadly. She replied slowly, "Good night, Tsukasa." She then lied down beside her with her own sleeping bag. Tsukasa went to bed the moment she hits the sack. That isn't true for Kagami, however. It usually takes some time for her to sleep but this time, somethings bothering her. For some reason, she doesn't want to lose Tsukasa or her friends. There's something in these woods that made her want to look over to her shoulder. She hoped, actually, prayed that it's not something bad. She closed her eyes and drifted off to the Land of Nod.

Author's note: This is quite a challenge to me to create this fic. I actually made this weeks ago but I accidentally deleted the first copy and had to start over again in little as two days. If you read closely, you might discover some reference to Higurashi. The Land of Nod is not a reference to either the Bible or Command and Conquer franchise, specifically the Tiberian series, it's from the phrase "to go off to the land of Nod" when people drift to sleep. It would help with the Lucky Star parts if you can give me suggestions and more so with Fatal Frame.


	2. Chapter 1: Tsukasa Wanders

**Chapter 1: Tsukasa Wanders**

A/N: Hello again, guys. This the first chapter of the story proper. I'm sorry if I wasn't slow with updating with this but a combination of other works, other problems including laziness and writer's block conspired me from doing this work much diligently. I may want to explain the lore that would spoil everything. Better keep the reader on his or her toes all the time. No need to understand _Fatal Frame_ just to read it. It would just add to the excitement.

* * *

><p>Tsukasa stirred slowly from her sleeping bag, blinking the sleep away from her groggy eyes. She looked around inside the tent which was completely dark save for some light from the opening diffused through the lighter fabric of the flap covering it.<p>

Slivers of light sunlight seeped through her eyes. She got up and saw the flap of the tent open, rays of the sun and dust motes adorned it, almost as if beckoning her to come outside and explore the wonderful world beyond. She threw off her covers and crawled towards the enticing light. She got out of the tent and looked around in wonder.

The whole world took on a sepia color, which seemed strange although she didn't mind it a lot, reminding her of old photos that framed a much happier world in the past. The lake was no longer there but in its place was a quite bubbling steam. The forest was a riot with the noise of chirping birds and sometimes hissing cicadas. Tsukasa felt the atmosphere of laughter when she and Kagami were little, when they played a lot in the backyard, a world that seemed much happier and brighter, beautiful and one that would never end.

Her view of the scene became shaky, and it seemed like a frame was dropped before her. This time she saw two girls by the stream. They wore matching white kimonos and had simple red obis around their waists linking them together. They had midnight-black hair, brown eyes, and very pale skin that seem to have not seen the sun, even their height was the same.

Tsukasa gave a closer look and noticed the difference. The girl on the lead smiled assertively as she walked nimbly over the rocks. She had a look on her face that said "that there's nothing in this world that could stop me" as she took a confident step over the rocks made smooth and slippery by the fast water.. The girl on the back, however, took hesitant steps, fearing slipping off the rocks and into the steam. The second girl reminded Tsukasa of herself. But Tsukasa got a good look on her face, which seemed locked at the first girl. It looked worried, yet had a scowl that seemed sinister. She looked shrunken in shadow of her sister's confidence.

The first girl stopped abruptly and turned her to the sky. The second girl stopped as well and gaze several glances at their surroundings. "Yae, let's go back. We shouldn't go so far from the village. It's dangerous."

The first girl, Yae, slowly closed her eyes and bask in the sun's warmth. She replied, "You needn't worry so much, Sae. Do you remember this place?"

Sae gave worried around before looked longingly down on the river. She relaxed, feeling somewhat safe for the moment. "Of course, we came here when we were younger. We used to play here all the time until we started our lessons and training with father." She made tiny smile formed up one corner of her mouth, then it dropped quickly into a frown. "Yae, we don't have to leave…please…"

"I won't." Her smile faded into a sad frown, not letting go of her gaze at the beautiful sky. "I can't do it, Sae. We can't stay. I brought you here because I made you a promise." She turned away from the sky to face her sister and gave her a smile. "This is where I promised…where we promised that we would always be together. I won't break my promise to you, Sae." Yae moved to stand beside her look-a-like and gently placed her hands on Sae's shoulders. "Please, leave the village with me."

Sae did not seem to speak, for lips never parted in reply yet Tsukasa can hear her voice echo in the forest. 'My body is weak, Yae…I might not be able to follow you. What if you leave me behind? I don't want to be alone…sister.' Yae could not hear sister's plea. Then her view shook again. Yae disappeared, like an animation with a frame missing, giving a choppy transition from scene to scene two. Before her was Sae, sobbing forlornly over her sister, now gone. A bright crimson light seemed to burn through the sepia tone and morph into a crimson butterfly.

Then she saw two girls coming into view, one girl chasing the butterfly and the other chasing her. Before she could get a good look of them, the view turned shaky yet again, almost like it was trembling. It jerked with epileptic suddenness.

* * *

><p>Tsukasa woke up, completely frightened. She looked around to see the world around was completely dark. The only sound she heard was the sedate chimes of the night insects and Konata's soft snoring, which sounded like the purrs of a cat. She groped around to feel her big sister Kagami. When she did, suddenly grab hold of her body in fright.<p>

The sudden tug she got was slowly roused Kagami from her sleep. She said groggily, "Tsukasa... is that you?"

"Onee-chan," she whimpered. "I'm scared."

She lazily got up and took Tsukasa in her arms, her face lit up in a sleepy smile. She Tsukasa rest her head on her shoulders and patted comfortably. "There, there, Tsukasa. It's just a bad dream. They're just campfire stories."

"Really?" Tsukasa asked worriedly.

"Sure, they're just made to scare the pants off people," she reassured her. "You can sleep next to me if you like."

Tsukasa felt relief and happiness. Kagami was always her pillar of strength. Someone to turn to when she has problems. Tsukasa felt a little guilty when she asked help from her for her homework and mades mistakes though to her spacing out but nothing made her happier than being comforted by her sister and making her feel loved in return.

Kagami went back to sleep. Tsukasa took her sleeping bag alongside and snuggled herself next to Kagami. Tsukasa went back asleep in just a few seconds.

Seconds later, Konata walked up oblivious to the recent interaction between the twins. She yawned softly and turned on the flashlight. She flashed it at the twins sleeping next to each other. She smiled mischievously. "Aww," she cooed. "Tsukasa wants big sister Kagami close to her."

Apparently, Kagami hear her. She responded slowly, "Shut up, Konata... Give me some rest..." Her eyelids were agitated since Konata shone her light directly at them. She turned off her flashlight.

Normally, Konata would have given her a witty comeback but her lessened state of awareness due to just waking would not permit her to so she decided that she just need something to drink. She went outside going to Yui and Kuroi's tent to pick a drink. Humming Cagayake, K-on's intro song, as she rummaged through the cooler for a drink.

She found two bottles of milk and drank one. When she turned back she noticed Tsukasa standing out of their tent. Her head tilted upward to look at the night sky.

"Hey, Tsukasa," Konata greeted with a cheer. "What'cha doin'?" Tsukasa did not respond, her eyes frozen in place. She smiled as Tsukasa's odd stand gave her an idea. "Hey, you're like your having an Evangelion vibe over there. Maybe we should cosplay you as Rei."

Tsukasa made no response again.

"Hello, Earth to Tsukasa," Konata wailed loudly. Same thing. She tried to wave her hand to get her attention, Tsukasa she still refused to let go of her stare at the night sky.

"How about a drink?" Konata offered her a bottle of milk, which she took out of the cooler.

Tsukasa remained stiff as a statue.

"Okay..." Konata said nonplussed, taken aback by Tsukasa's weird behavior. "If you like to enjoy your moon gazing alone, I won't bother you. Be sure to come back inside when you're done," she suggested and went off to the tent.

Just as Konata spread open the flaps and crawled in, Tsukasa's face lit up in a smile of wonder as if she saw something no else can see.

Konata took her place back in the tent and creep back into her sleeping bag.

She then heard Kagami's slurred moans. The tsundere asked absently, "Hey... what were you doing..."

"Nothing, Kagamin," Konata replied. "Just getting some milk."

"Alright..." Kagami rolled around in her sleeping bag.

"By the way," Konata added as she was about to get to sleep, "Tsukasa's outside stargazing. She is stiff as a scarecrow."

"Uh-uh..."

A few seconds later, Kagami jolted wide awake. She cried loudly, "She what!"

Kagami frantically raced out of the tent. She surveyed their camp worriedly for Tsukasa. She was out of cried loudly, "Tsukasa! Tsukasa, where are you?" Knowing her sister, she would be very concerned with her going off in the woods by herself. Remembering what their father told her of the Minakami region turned her concern into very deep fear, especially about the twin girls and the couple.

Konata hurriedly crawled out of the tent with her flashlight. "Tsukasa was right..." her voice trailed off when the light fell on the spot where Tsukasa was, now empty.

Kagami swung around and snapped at her, "What were you thinking? Why didn't you stop her?"

"I tried, Kagami," Konata explained. "But she couldn't hear me. I thought she was just spacing off."

"So you let her wander off in the middle of nowhere?" Kagami asked incredulously. "God!" She stalked off towards the edge of the woods to the path they came in.

As she came up she saw another path snake into another part of the woods. Above it she saw a swaying red light with a subtle and surreal neon quality with Tsukasa being lead deeper into the forest. Kagami sprinted up the path to get to her.

Her cries for Tsukasa woke up the rest of the gang.

Kuroi crawled up of the tent she was sharing with Yui. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. "What the hell's going on?" she murmured in a slurred voice.

"Kuroi-sensei," Konata called out, her voice echoing in the woods. Kuroi turned her and saw Konata standing atop a path in the edge of the woods. "Tsukasa's going into the woods." She ran off to join Kagami before she could elaborate.

"Huh?" Kuroi was puzzled. What was Tsukasa doing in the woods? she thought

"What's going on, Miyuki asked just emerging from Kagami's tent. Of all four girls, she was the last to wake up ironically. She looked around. She asked timidly, "Kuroi-sensei, where's Konata? Where's Kagami and Tsukasa?" Everyone else began to wake from their slumber.

Kuroi answered casually, "They went up the hill catch Tsukasa on a little adventure."

There was some awkward silence for Miyuki while Kuroi didn't seem to care until...

"What!" the World History teacher cried when the realization hit her.

"What's all the racket?" Misao yawned loudly and stretched her arms, having no idea what's going on.

"Quick," Kuroi ordered, "we gotta catch those kids." She ran to back to the tent to fetch Yui, who was just waking up.

"Morning, Kuroi-san," Yui yawned absentmindedly, "is it breakfast already?" She looked around to see that it was still dark. "It's too early for breakfast..."

"Skip breakfast," Kuroi said quickly. "Your cousin's going into the woods."

Yui's eyes opened wildly when she heard it. "Konata venturing into the woods by herself?"

"And Tsukasa's wandering in there too," she hastily added.

"Quick," Yui exclaimed. "We gotta get them." The two adults instantly ran off, Kuroi leading them to the path where she last saw Konata.

"Konata's going into the woods? I'm in," Misao said excitedly as if it was some sort of adventure than an emergency. She left Miyuki behind as she trailed off to join the adults.

Miyuki looked around everyone was up already, wanting to know what all the shouting was about as the rest the group emerged from the tents.

"Damn it!" Kagami snarled as low branches and underbrushed flayed her arms and legs, trying to impede her progress trying to catch up with Tsukasa. It seemed like she was having tunnel vision as she tried to close the distance with her twin sister, who seem so far away trying to chase the fleeting red light that now had a shape.

The one distressing thing was that thing took on the form of a butterfly.

"Wait for me, little butterfly," Tsukasa pleaded to the brilliant crimson butterfly. She was trying to catch the elusive beautiful creature and play with it. She never felt a so much joy in her life as she tried to play with it. She giggled happily as it flitted among the branches and bushes down the trail.

Kagami was visibly disturbed by Tsukasa's giggling and the fact that she was asking the phantom winged creature to play with her. Her sister had no idea what that thing was doing to her, simply chasing after it like a moth to a lamp's flame. No matter how fast or how hard she ran, no matter how tantalizingly close she was, Tsukasa seemed out of her reach, almost as if something was keeping her away from her sister, which was amazing since Tsukasa's weak spot was PE and she trips occasionally.

Kagami vainly shouted her sister's name, her voice reverberating loudly through the woods in an eerie manner as the forest turned darker, the moon and stars less visible from the ever-thicker canopy of trees, only narrow rays of moonlight streamed through the gaps, adding only to the unreal quality of the scene they were in. She could faintly hear the Konata calling her name but she had no time to wait for her friend to back her up.

Kagami was finally gaining on her sister. Tsukasa seem to slow down as the butterfly flew less vigorously and low enough to be at Tsukasa's reach. She passed by a large stone stump covered in moss. She saw a pair of figures but couldn't make out what they look like. She didn't care as she a dash past it.

The world instantly turned turned gray. Kagami's darted around around apprehensively at the new change. One minute she was going running through the woods and now shades of lifeless, empty gray dominated the landscape. The only other color was crimson. She turned her head and saw Tsukasa walking now, watching the butterfly playfully dancing through the air.

Then Kagami thought she saw a shadow of a woman briefly blanketing Tsukasa's body. Fearing the worst to happen, Kagami burst forth and brought her hand to her sister's shoulder.

Before she could even touch her shoulder, Tsukasa swung around and deflected her hand. Kagami felt Tsukasa push her. She landed on her back and her younger twin pinned her down to the ground. Kagami was thoroughly confused and frightened. Her eyes dilated in terror as she stared back at Tsukasa's eyes. They were glazed and without life, like she had been broken down emotionally. The next thing she knew was she sitting astride on her stomach.

Kagami could not believe what her sister was doing. And before she could even say a word, Tsukasa's hands wrung her neck in a vise-like grip. The older Hiiragi twin found herself choking as her sister enclosed around it with strength impossible for her. She tried gasp some words but she could only manage a painful, chortled croak. In terror, Kagami struggled, trying to pry Tsukasa's hands away from her neck but they would not budge and it only served to tighten her gripped around her neck. She went on in vain as she stared at her sister's eyes, gazing back at her in a hypnotic stare as she choked the life out of her older sister.

Then, Tsukasa spoke softly, "Gomanasai, onee-chan."

Everything stopped abruptly. Kagami was by her lonesome. No crimson butterfly, no Tsukasa, just a small clearing in the woods that seem to lose their color. Not just the woods but everything including the sky. The air was cold and heavy, there were no sounds of life, not even the chirping of the cicadas. Was it some hallucination? It had to be so, she thought. There was no other explanation for it. Yet the whole thing, the choking, felt real...

Kagami shook her head and got up, wiping the dust of her shirt and dismissing the whole thing. She rushed down the path, desperately calling for her younger sister. Upon reaching the end of the trail, she was relieved to see Tsukasa. She was standing at a torii gate on the end of the path that sloped downward. Down there was a clearing with a strange monument, like some giant cap stone. When Kagami called her gain, her younger sister actually responded, turning her head at the direction of her elder sister.

"Onee-chan," Tsukasa ran to her sister. They collided into each other's embrace. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay." Kagami patted Tsukasa's head as laid down on her shoulders. "Onee-chan's here. There's nothing for you to worry about."

"I'm sorry for sleepwalking," she apologized tearfully.

"There's nothing to worry about..." Sleepwalking? Kagami knew Tsukasa never sleepwalked. The closest thing was when she went downstairs to fetch a glass of milk from the refrigerator and tripped on the rug, forgetting to close the fridge door and it wasn't even sleepwalking; it was just her being absentminded. What she did a while ago was something else.

Kagami looked up to have a look at the strange surroundings she found themselves in. In front of them was the capstone monument, which surrounded by five tall stone pillars that arched over the capstone like some sort of claw. They were connected by rope, which look aged and rotted. It sent a chill down her spine as studied the thing.

_What the fuck was that for?_ she thought.

Tsukasa spoke up, her voice muffled by Kagami's shoulder. "I'm scared." She looked up and they both locked eyes together. Kagami felt dread as she saw on her sister's eyes the same glaze that she saw when she hallucinated Tsukasa strangling her. Yet she saw an emotion and it was fear, a fear that sapped strength off one's body.

"What is it?" Kagami asked slowly.

"Onee-chan... I can see them... They are singing..."

* * *

><p>AN: Phew! What a work out. I've actually got to finish this fic. I know, I've made a cliffhanger but you don't want to give away the whole thing or even a segment of the best parts.


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